Check endorsing machine



Jan. 15, 1935. D. s. BowMAN CHECK ENDORSING MACHINE Filed July 19, 1933 4 Sheets-Sheet Jan 15, 1935. D. s. BowMAN CHECK ENDORSING MACHINE Fled July 19, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 /A/VENTOR' eanowmrz,

Jan. l5, 1935. D. s. BOWMAN CHECK ENDORSING MACHINE Filed July 19, 1953 4 Sheets-5h89?l Jan. 15, T1935. D. s. BowMAN CHECK ENDORSING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed July 19, 1955 Patented -lan. 1.5, 1935 UNITED STATES lm'rENT OFFICE CHECK ENDORSING MACHINE Dean S. Bowman, Philadelphia, Pa., assigner to Lanston Monotype Machine Company, Philadelphia, la., a corporation of Virginia Application July 19, 1933, Serial No. 681,067 11 Claims. (Cl. lill-235) The present invention relates to machines for drive, taken from the left side of the machine printing endorsements on checks or similar ma.- as it appears in Fig, 4, chines in which the paper or check to be printed Fig. 6 is a detail section of the plate carrying onv is introduced by hand or otherwise between roller and parts associated therewith, 5 feed rollers which carry it between a platen and Fig. 'i is an end view of the plate roller shown 5 a normally inactive plate-carrying or printing in Fig` 6, roller, the introduction of the paper causing the Fig. 8 is a section on approximately the line latter to rotate a single revolution, thereby 8 8 of Fig.y 6, and printing the paperx from the previously inked Fig. 9 is a perspective of the cam for placing l plate. The invention has yfor its objects the plate roller in elevated position. l0 the provision of mechanism for clutching the Referring to the drawings, the frame of the plate roller into action by the displacing movefha-Chih@ COmlJTSeS 3 TeClahgllla has@ POYtOh ment given to one or more of the feed and trip- 1 which. is preferably hollow and is provided ping mums, Such movement throwing the clutch with a rear, hollow vertical extension 2 to which l5 into action; the provision of devices operated by a Suitable COi/'el 3 iS hinged. Forward of the l5 the plate roller for giving the inking roller iniextension 2, the base l is provided with a gear tial movement prior tov its contact with the hOllSihg 'flne 4, leaving a Space between the printing plate which upon such contact frictionparts 2, and 4 for the reception of the endorsed ally drives the inking roller until the plate paper, a 11101501 (IlOt Shown) iS lOOtod lh th@ roller has made its revolution and stopped at its front tOD 0f the 0215 hd iS DOVdSCl With .al 20 initial position, such initial movement of the motor shaft 5, suitably 0011101641 t0 the Worm inking roller preventing abrupt Contact with the shaft 6 provided with a worm 7 rthe teeth of plate and consequent flooding with ink of the Which meSh With the Worm Wheel 8 Xed to the forward edge of the plate; the provision 0f platen shaft 9. The motor shaft extends at an mechanism for agitating the ink in its recepvCU-t@ angle t0 the Shaft 9 t0 provide a heat V25 tacle and for applying it to the inking roller in aSSembly and the latter. is lOLllIllled at each proper, distributed quantities, such mechanism Bhd in the gea? hOllShg 4 WhCh ehthely COVGITS being driven from the inkng roller; the pyothe WOlm and Worm Wheel and, 1S Secured t0 the vision of a central tripping roll or its equivalent base 1 by bOltS 10 (FS- 4) When Supplied so that the printing on the paper will always With Suitable eloh Current thlOugh a handle 130 be a definite distance from the edge 0f y the switch, to be described hereinafter, the motor paper where it engages said tripping roll, the lClflvoS the gears and the platen Shaft 9 Conprinting being thus always positioned approxitiiluOuSly- The platen roller 11 of rubber or the mately at the center, from side to side, of the like iS thus given a continuous rotation.

paper even if the latter has been introduced be- The @Xtehsh 2 0f the frame iS pI'OVded at ltS ,35 tween the feed rolls at an angle to the printing '00p 0h eah Side 0f the machine Withr bearings relier axis, thus ensuring the printing wholly r12 nvwhioh is oivotallv mounted the bell-Crank on the paper and preventing the inlring 0f the lever 13, the vertical arm of which extends platen and resultant offset printing therefrom downwardly through the hollow extension 2 to on the Opposite face of the paper next intro.. the lowermost part of the machine, its lower end 4,0

duced; other objects of the invention will be bei-ng forked to embrace the Stub Shaft 17- Ah hereinafter set forth or will appear in connec- 'Operating Shaft 14 mns hOrZontauy from from tion with the following description of the ernto rear @,f the page l', At least one end of the bodiment of the invention shown in the accornshaftl 1s u mvlcted Wlth a handle' 16'. A collar panyng drawings in which 17 on the stub snaft 17, which shaft 1s parallel r4:5 Fig. l is a man View of a portion of the check with the shaft 14, serves as a stop for a spring 18 coiled on the shaft 1'7, the other end of the ehdhrslhg mahm lspring contacting through a washer the for.- Fg' 2 1S a 51de elevation fetam parl?? bmg vward faces of the forked portion of the bell-crank broken away and Others bem-g ,Shown m Sec lever 13, the collar being adjustable to vary the 50 tlOh, y pressure vof .the spring against the lever. The

Fig. 3 is a vertical section, shaft 17 is prevented from longitudinal move.- Fig. 4 is ya front elevation, parts being rement by nuts 19 on each side of the bracket 15,. moved, broken away or in section, To the rear of the forked portion of lever 13 .is

Fig. 5 is a detail side elevation of the ,inking Va cam collar 20 secured to the shaft 14 so that 5,

when the latter is turned by manipulating either one of the handles 16 the cam surface 21 will contact with the rear faces of the fork of the bell crank and will force the latter against the action of the coil spring 18 in a forward direction.

The horizontal arms 13 of the bell crank lever 13 extend forwardly of the bearings 12, there being two arms, one on each side of the machine and each having at its forward end a bearing for the plate roller shaft 22 (Fig. 6), this shaft lying horizontally, crosswise of the machine above and slightly to the rear of the platen shaft 9 previously described. The shaft 22 is provided near each end with flange rollers 23 which are forced against the platen roller due to the force of the base spring 18 which, acting to force the vertical leg of the bell crank to the rear, causes the horizontal arms to be forced downwardly and the flange rollers to be pressed against the platen. The amount of pressure is regulated by an obvious adjustment of the spring 18 and its collar 17.

When the handle 16 is moved from the operative position shown in Fig. 3, it forces the cam 21 against the bell crank 13 and compresses the spring 18, thus lifting the flange rollers 23 from contact with the platen roller 11 into inoperative position. The handle 16, when moved to operative position, also causes an electric switch 26 (Fig. 4) to be closed to complete the circuit in which the driving motor is located, thus driving the platen shaft. When the handle 16 is moved to its inoperative position to raise the plate roller assembly, the switch 26 Will be opened to break this circuit. The switch mechanism is secured to the underneath side of the frame 1 above the shaft 14 and consists of two spring bars 24 and 25 secured in insulated relation to the frame and provided with contact points 26 of tungsten or the like. These points are normally sprung apart, but the lower is adapted to be forced in contact with the upper by a cam 27 fastened to the shaft 14, by a set screw or the like.

The plate roller assembly includes the flange rollers 23 between which and on the same axis is located the plate roller proper 28. Each horizontal arm 13 of the bell crank lever 13 is provided with a hole in this axis which accommcdates a bearing pin 29, provided externally with a knurled head and held in position by a pin 30 itself held in place by leaf spring 30. The bearing pin 29 extends inwardly into a bore in the sleeve 31 provided with a nut head 32. The plate roller 28 is fixedly mounted on its shaft 22 by being provided at each end with cylindrical hollow projections or hubs into which the sleeves 3l are screw-threaded and on the outer surfaces of which hubs the flange rollers 23 rotate. Thus the plate roller 28 is designed to rotate on the pins 29 and it is obvious that by removing the pins 29, the platen roller may be readily removed from the bell crank. Between the cylindrical hubs 22, the plate roller is flanged to a diameter slightly smaller than that of the flange rollers, the flanges 33 supporting the number and date wheels 34. These wheels are of the usual construction and are carried on a shaft 35, the ends of which are journalled in slides 36 which are provided with slots 37 to accommodate pins 38 forced in the flanges 33 and projecting inwardly therefrom in or near the axis of the shaft 35. The slides 36 extend across the diameter of the roller 28 and are each secured to its flange 33 by a pin 39 which passes through the flange and also through the slide. A nut 40 having an eccentric collar 39' screws on the end of the pin 39. The eccentric part 39' seats in the slide apertured and it will be seen that on turning the nut, the slide will be moved along the diameter of the roller 28. this movement being caused by the eccentric bearing 39. The parts may be locked in adjusted position by turning the pin 39 as by a screw driver. This eccentric adjustment or any equivalent thereof obviously moves the wheel shaft 35 and the date wheels radially and readily form a precise location of the wheels. The printing surfaces of the wheels are thus brought into perfect printing relationship with the plate 41, which is slotted to accommodate the wheels and is secured to the circumference of the plate roller 28 by screws 42. The plate is made of any suitable material curved to t the roller and has on its outer surface suitable raised letters or indicia, as a bank endorsement, to be printed on the check or other paper introduced into the machine. These indicia and the printing numbers on the wheels are radially distant from the axis of the plate roller sufflciently to make its printing diameter approximately equal to that of the flange rollers.

The check is introduced in a downwardly slanting direction on the feed plate 43 secured to the frame above the motor and worm drive, and is thus led between the constantly rotating platen l1 and the plate flange rollers 23 driven thereby. Before reaching these rollers, however,

the forward edge of the check is grasped by feed rollers and by them moved between the platen and flange rollers. The lower feed roller assembly is mounted below the feed plate 43 and projects through a slot in said plate. It consists of two side rollers 44 each mounted to rotate on a stud 45 projecting inwardly from an upstanding bracket 46 which may be a part of the gear housing frame 4. These rollers 44 approximately correspond in Width with the flange rollers 23 and are driven frictionally from the platen roller l1 through idler rollers 47 which rotate on a shaft 4S the ends of which are hung from springs 49, one end of each spring being secured to the shaft 48 and the other end being anchored to the bracket 46 by a stud 49. The springs keep the rollers 47 in contact botlr with the platen roller 11 and the feed rollers 44. The rotation of these rollers 11, 47 and 44 is transmitted to the upper feed rollers 50 by frictional contact therewith of the rollers 44. The rollers 50 are located above the feed plate 43 and are normally protected by the cover 3. These rollers are fixedly mounted on a shaft 5l on which centrally of the machine and of the shaft is fixed a tripping roller 52. The shaft 5l is journalled at each end in a lever 53, these levers being pivoted centrally at 54 to the ends of the horizontal arms 13 of the bell crank lever 13, forward of the axis of the plate roller 28. The rear ends of these levers 53 extend to the rear of this axis and are spring held upward by the springs 55 (Fig. 2) the opposite ends of the springs being fastened to a stud 56 on the horizontal arms 13. Thus the upper feed rollers 50 are spring pressed downwardly against the lower feed rollers 44. A paper introduced from the table 43 will be grasped between these rollers and fed toward the plate and platen rollers.

The upper tripping roller 52 is in frictional driving contact with the lower tripping roller 57 rotatably mounted on a pin 5,8. These rollers are preferably of soft rubber and are grooved or toothed so that their surfaces are articulated or in ,cooperative relation. The ends of the. pin 58 are secured to the rearwardly extending arm 59 of the double bell crank lever 60 pivoted at 61 and having a lower arm 62. The pivot 61 is a stay rod extending between the brackets 46 and the lever is prevented from moving length- Wise of the rod by the collars 63. The pin 58 is paralleled with the stud shafts 45, but slightly rearward of the same (Fig. 3) thus ensuring that the feed rollers 44, 50 seize the check just prior to the latters contact with the tripping; rollers 52, 57. One of the downwardly extending arms 6.2 of the bell crank 60 is provided `with a switch lever 64 to which electric contact point. 6.5 is attached. The `switch lever 64 is centrally pivoted to the arm 62 at the point 66 and its upper end is bent into a lugwhich is normally stopped against theI arm-62 by the action of a coil spring 67, the other end of whichv is attached to the arm 59 by the `pin 68. Opposing the contact point 65 is the point 69 attached to the arm 70 secured to the interior of the frame 1 by an insulating block 71. The bell crank 60 is normally held yieldingly with the contacts 6 5 and 66 apart by a coil spring 72, one end of which is attached to the stud or Din 68 and the other end toa pin 73 in the rod 73 which latter parallels the rod 61 and is secured at its ends to the frame bracket 46.. Thus the lower tripping roller 57 is held normally by the spring 72 against the upper tripping roller 52, the latter frictionally driving the former, thus also the contact 65 is normally held away from the opposing contact69. When a check is introduced between the tripping rollers, however, the thickness of the paper moves the roller 57 downwardly and pivots the bell crank 60 on the rodv 61'to cause contact between the points 65 and 69. The spring 67 and lever 64 cause the pressure of contact to be that produced by the spring 67 and to be of a yielding but positive nature.

The contact points 65 and 69 are connected by electric wires 74 and 75 which lead through the hollow frame to the solenoid 76 so that when the switch '65, 69 is closed, current flows through the solenoid and the armature 77 thereof is actuated. It may be pointed out here that the electric line is coupled to the drive motor by closing of the switch 24, 25 and that lbeyond this switch the motor and solenoid are in parallel, with the switch 65, 69 in the solenoid circuit. Thus the solenoid will not receive current when its switch is closed unless the motor switch is also closed.

The solenoid 76 and its frame 76' are mounted on one of the horizontal arms 13 of the bell crank 13 in proximity to the pivotal axis 12 of the latter, by bracket 78 and screws 79. The armature extends forwardly therefrom and is linked by a connecting rod 80 to a latch hook 81 to which the rod 80 is pivoted andwhich itself is pivoted at 82 to the bell crank 1,3 and is provided with a tail extension 83 yieldingly held against an adjustable stop84 bya coil spring 85 attached to the extension 83 and anchored by the stud 86 secured to the bell crank arm 13 (Fig. 1). rlhe catch 81 is formed at its upper end to hook over and arrest an extension 87 riveted to the cage of the roller clutch to be described. Also pivoted on the stud 82 is the retaining pawl 88 so. that the catch 81 is between it and the arm 13. This likewisehas a tail 83', stop 84 and spring 85.' similar to vthe parts 83, 84. and above described. The upper end of :the pawl 88 is .adapted to be spring pressed in the path of the extension 85 riveted to the inner member of the `roller clutch now to be described.

One of the flange rollers 23 contains within ita clutch by which the rotation of the roller 23 may be communicated to the plate roller 28..l

The roller 23 is hollowed out so that it serves as the outer Aclutch member, the periphery of the hollowed portion serving as a track for the rollers 90 whichv are spaced' apart by a noating cage and idly roll normally on. the flat surfaces 91 of the inner clutch member 92, the latter being 'keyed to. the,v hub sleeve` 22 of the plate roller 28. The springs 92 act to hold the flats 91 and cage rollers 9.0 so that the rollers are clutched; this construction being well known in the art as is also the construction of the catch 81 and pawl f 88 acting on the extensions 87 and 89 to maintain, the rollers 90 out vof clutching relationship with the flats. 91,. In the normal relationships of these parts, the flange roller 23 is rotating, and the inner clutch member is at rest. When the armature 77 is actuated to move toward the rearof the machine the catch 81 is withdrawn from the extension 87, the clutch is actuated so that its inner member 92 rotates with its outer member 23 and thus the plate roller 28 keyed to thev inner member 92. is .caused to rotate. When the. latter'has completed one rotation, the switch 65, 69 being opened by the spring 72 after the passage ofv the, paper and the solenoid circuit being thus broken and the armature returned to its forward position by the spring 85, the extension 87 will again be seated against the returned catch 8l and stop such rotation; the pawl 88` will then drop in behind. the extension 89 and hold the clutch in disengaged position again, until another paper closes the solenoid switch.

The inking mechanism frame 93 consists essentially of a well or reservoir for the ink, the sides of which project forwardly and are providedV with outwardly extending pintles 94 for cooperation withslideways in the arms 13' of the bell crank lever 13. The rearward portions of, these sidewalls are provided with hubs into which bars 95 are screwed and around which bars are coil springs 96 between which and the screw heads 97 are the upturned lugs 98 of the cross piece 99. The latter is forked for the reception of a wing screw 100 which projects through the fork into the cross bar of the bell crank 13. Thus the inking frame is located between the horizontal arms 13 of the bell crank 13 and on loosening the screw 100 may be adjusted in a forward and rearward direction and then by tightening the screw locked in position.

The forwardly projecting sides of the frame 93 are slotted toy serve as bearings for the inking roller 101 which has a felt periphery and extends parallel to the plate roller 28, its felt periphery being in position to contact and rotate with the plate 41 on said roller 28. By the adjustment previously described, of the inking mechanism, this= contact may be accurately made and any shocks or excess pressure caused for example by irregularities of the plate or of the number of wheels is taken up in an obvious mannerA by the springs 96. It is also apparent that the loosening of the wing screw 100 permits thev easy removal and replacement of the inking mechanism. The well of the inking frame 93 is provided with a transverse shaft' 102 on which is xed a paddle and ink applier 103 which is provided with an applicator edge 104 which may be of felt or the like. Upon the rotation of the shaft 102 the paddle dips down into the ink, keeping it stirred and the felt edge 104 receives some of this ink to apply it once every revolution thereof to the distributing roller 105, preferably composed of metal, which roller is journalled in the side walls of the inker frame and is in contact with the inking roller 101. Ink thus transported from the well is applied to the distributing roller and then to the inking roller. A plate 106 hinged to the rod 107 rests by its Weight on the roller 105, scraping oir excess ink and assisting in distributing it evenly on the roller 105. A collar 108 and spring108 on the shaft 102 is arranged to produce frictional pressure against the inside of the ink well so that the paddle and its shaft will not overthrow beyond the amount of rotation imparted to it. Such rotation is caused in a step-by-step fashion by the ratchet wheel 109 (Fig. 5) fixed to the shaft 102 and by the pawl 110, the latter ing manner: The rear end of the bar 111 is actuated from the plate roller 28 in the following manner: The rear end of the bar 111 is pivotally attached to a bail 112 journalled on the pintles of the inking roller outside of the inking frame sides and having its connecting bar extending parallel with the axis of the roller 101 at a slight distance from the felt surface thereof. This bail has an arm 113 riveted to one arm thereof, the end of which arm extends toward the axis of the plate roller 28 at one end of said roller, in position to be struck by a pin 114 screwed into the end of said plate roller. Several holes are provided for this pin so that it may be selectively located to strike the arm 113 sooner or later in point of time during the rotation of the plate roller-` When the arm is struck by the pin, the bail 112 is rotated on the axis of the ink roller and the bar 111 is given a rearward motion, thus causing the pawl to strike one of the teeth on the ratchet Wheel 109 and move the latter a distance of one tooth. This moves the shaft 102 and the paddle 103 correspondingly. When the pin has passed by, the bail is returned to its position of rest by the coil spring 115 attached at one end to one of the studs 116 and at its other end to the rear- Ward end of the barlll. As has been said, the pintles of the ink roller have bearings in slots in the forwardly projecting sides of the inker frame. Springs 117 attached to these pintles at each end and to the studs 116 hold the ink roller in the slots and at the same time allow the roller to rock and adapt itself as to its contact with the plate 41 attached to the plate roller 28. The slot construction also allows of easy removal of the ink roller from therinker frame.

The crcssbar of the bail 112 carries a toothed or serrated pusher bar or pawl 118 its upper edge being provided with pintles which extend through holes in the side arms of the bail so that it is supported pivotally therein. The width of the bar is such that its teeth or serrations sink into the felt periphery of the ink roller and cause the latter to rotate due to the action of the plate roller pin 114 on the bail arm 113. Thus the ink roller is given an initial rotary movement prior to the contact of the plate with signed to be at approximately the same circumference speed as that produced when the .plate drives the ink roller by fri'ctional contact. It will be understood that the plate surface is radially at a greater distance from the axis of the plate roller 28 than the rest of the cylindrical surface of the roller. The plate printing surfaces may be said to be type high while the other portions of the plate and roller are lower than type high, so that only the printing surfaces may receive ink from the ink roller and apply that ink to the check or other paper. It is only the type high positions of the plate roller that contact with the ink roller and the above described toothed bar 118 is important to cause the ink roller to rotate initially prior to the contact of the type high plate with the ink roller. Without this provision, the forward edge of the plate will strike forcibly the felt ink roller and cause the deposit at that edge of an excessive amount of ink which will in turn cause a blot at that edge of the printed matter on the check. When the plate and ink roller come into Contact while both are traveling at the same speed this blot of excess ink is prevented. When a larger or smaller plate is used, the pin 114 may be adjusted by inserting it into the proper one of the series of holes already referred to, thus timing the initial movement of the ink roll accordingly. The teeth in the bar 118 extend the whole length of the ink roller and are of such shape as to produce a softening of the felt by picking, thus eliminating the necessity of frequent removal of the ink roller for doing this by hand. When the drive of the ink roller is continued beyond the stroke of the bail 112 and its pusher 118, the teeth of the latter drag over the felt as they also do on the return of the pusher to its initial position and this dragging action also contributes to the maintaining of the felt in the soft condition which is necessary for proper inking.

The bar 111 for operating the ratchet wheel 109 carries a headed pin 121 between the head of which and the bar 111 is carried a finger slide 119 which is slotted for the pin and may be slid along from one end of the slot to the other by the ringer knob 120. The rear end of the slide is carried in a slot in the out turned end of the bar 111. The slide is also provided with a cam surface 119 which rides over the end of the rod 107, which latter projects through an opening in the bar 111. When the slide is moved rearwardly to the dot-and-dash position of Fig. 5, the cam surface 119 contacts with the rod 107 during the rearward movement of bar 111, and

Acauses the slide and with it the bar 111 to raise so that its pawl 110 does not contact in its travel with the ratchet wheel teeth. The inoperative Aposition of the pawl 110, thus produced may be resorted to as needed to stop the rotation of the paddle 103 and its felt applicator 104 and thus regulate, by stopping such rotation for a time, the amount of ink delivered to the ink roller. The paddle is moved the distance of one tooth for each revolution of the plate roller 28 and since there may be 24 teeth on the ratchet wheel, an application of ink is produced for each 24 checks sent through the machine. More or less teeth may be .provided on the ratchet wheel if 'desired and a halfway position of the slide 119 may be used to move one tooths distance while the full line position could be employed for a travel of two such teeth. the ink roller, this initial movement being de- In the operation of the check endorser machine the handle 16 in its off position in which lthe cam 21 presses against the bell crank lever CFI `Laarzen;

13 and holds the plate roller slightly above the platen roller, is moved to its operating position allowing the spring 18 to actuate the bell crank lever 13 and thus press the plate roller downwardly so that its flange rollers 23 are in frictional Contact with the platen. The turning of the handle 16 to such position also causes the switch points 26 to Contact with each other so as to permit current which enters the machine through a plug (not shown) to traverse the motor circuit and thus cause the platenroller to rotate. When a check or similar paper is introduced between the upper and' lower feedr rollers, these rollers being rotated by frictional contact from the platen roller; the .check will be' seized and drawn between .the feed rollers and subsequently delivered between the platen and the plate roller assembly. The forward edge of the check when introduced between the feed rollers 44 and 50 is also drawn between the toothed tripping rollers 52, 57. Since these rollers have teeth4 in the form of corrugations or' the like which match each other, the check as it is drawn in causes the flower tripping roller to be displaced and produces contact between the switch points 65, 69, thus closing the electro-magnet circuit. Due to the toothed structure .of these rollers, the displacement caused by a thin paper is magnified to .an amountl many times the thickness of the paper.. The armature of said magnet is immediately drawn back when the switch 65, 69" is closed andl the clutch between one of the flange rollers and the plate roller proper is actuated so that the plate roller is' caused to rotatey and the plate secured thereto is impressed upon* the check as it travels between the platen and the said plate roller.` The tripping of the clutch by this electro-magnetic means is both positive and delicate.` If the numerals do' not print properly, the numeral wheels may be moved radially by a simple adjustment of the arms 36 and lthe cam nut 39'. If the check is introduced into1 the machine angularly so that its forward edge first strikes one of the pair of feed rollers 44,V 50, the tripping of the clutch will'not yimmediately occur because the tripping is controlled by the corrugated rollers which are located centrally of the machine in a crosswiseY direction. In other words, the tripping of the plate roller does not occur until the' forward edge of lthe check has Vreached these centrally located trip-A ping `rollers which are in fact located opposite or substantially in linel with the center of the printing platel not occur too soon aswould beV the case if the tripping rollers were at one side of the machirie' and the check were introduced at an angle'. When the tripping occurs too early withv respect to the rotation of the plate roller`the plate will print only on the back edge of the" check-and some of the printed matter will miss the `check entirely and ink will thus be spread upon the' platen with the result that it will be transferred by offset to the face of the 'next' check to be introduced into the machine. Whjen the tripping is controlled by that portion of the` front edgeof the check, which will subsequently passY under the plate, as in the present case, the printing will be approximately central of the check and ink will not be applied to the' platen roller. y v

As the plate rollerl rotates, its pin 114 will strike the arm 113- of the ink-ing vmechanism and through the pawl 118` `give to .fthe 4inking In this way, the 'tripping does roller 101 an initial speed which may be approximately equal to the speed of the plate roller so that at the time the forward edge of the plate meetsv the printing roller, the latter Will be traveling at the same speed as the plate. Without such initial movement of the inking roller, the tendency is for the forward edge of the plate to strike abruptly against the in king rol-ler and thus force therefrom a considerable quantity of ink which adheres to the forward edge of the plate and applies an excess quantity of ink to the next check to be passed thro-ugh the machine along said forward line. The pawl 118 acts also to pick the felt of the inking roller and keep it soft. The inking roller must contact firmly with all of the type vhigh positions of the plate and it is therefore journalled in slotsV of the printing frame so that it may adapt itself to' variations in the plate. It is also carried on that frame so that it can be adjusted into heavy or light contact with the plate merely by manipulating the screw handle and, moving the frame backward or forward with respect to the plate roller. Springs 96 areA also provided in the assembly to make the contact between the inking roller and printing platea spring pressed contact. As the plate roller rotates and gives an initial movement to the inking. roller, it also operates the ratchet wheel 109 one tooth and turns the balile or paddle one step within the ink well with the result that after a given number of revolutions the paddle: will deliver' a quantity of ink to the distributing roller which will transfer it as it rotates to the inking roller. pigment which tends to separate from its vehicle and the construction described serves to agitato the ink to keep it in perfect mixture and delivers both the pigment and the vehicle to the inking roller, thus being of considerable advantage over wick devices which have been found draw up and deliver the vehicle while the pigment remains behind and subsequently clogs up the 'wick itself. If too much ink is being delivered, the finger 120 may be moved to the position shown in dot-and-dash lines in Fig. 5 and the delivery of ink is thus stopped until the finger 120 is returned again to its normal working position.

I claim:

l. A check endorsing machine comprising a frame, a platen roller mounted therein for continuous rotation, a plate roller fixed to a shaft, an end roller mounted on said shaft at one end of said plate roller, a normally inactive clutch between the end roller and plate for holding said end roller in frictional contact with said platen roller to be continuously driven thereby, a tripping device comprising a single pair of continuously driven gripping rollers, one of whichis adapted to be displaced by a check when the latter is introduced into the machine and means operatively connected with said tripping device and said clutch whereby the intro- The ink is very apt to have a o roller, means'` cow duction of the check causes the clutch to operate driven thereby, a tripping roller adapted to be displaced by a check when the latter is introduced into the machine, an electric switch adapted to be operated by the displacement of the tripping roller, an electro-magnet in the switch circuit, a latch device connected with the armature of the electro-magnet and normally engaging the clutch to hold it in inoperative position whereby the introduction of the check causes the latch to be withdrawn and the clutch to operate and thereby rotate the plate roller.

3. A check endorsing machine comprising a motor driven platen roller, a normally inactive plate roller provided with a printing plate, a normally inactive driving connection between said platen and plate rollers, check feeding rollers driven from the platen roller, a tripping roller constituting a single tripping device also driven from the platen roller and being located laterally between the feed rollers and yieldably mounted so as to be displaced by the check when it is introduced between the feed rollers and means operated by the displacement of said tripping roller for operating the driving connection above mentioned and causing the plate roller to rotate.

4. A check endorsing machine comprising a motor driven platen roller, a normally inactive plate roller provided with a printing plate, a normally inactive driving connection between said platen and plate rollers, check feeding rollers driven from the platen, a tripping roller also driven from the platen and being yieldably mounted so as to be displaced by the check when it is introduced between the feed rollers, said tripping roller being located in line with the center of the plate whereby that portion of the check which will subsequently pass under the plate will cause the displacement of the tripping roller, and means operated by the displacement of said tripping roller for operating the driving connection above mentioned, whereby the operation of the plate is produced by the action of that part of the check which will subsequently receive an imprint from the plate.

5. A check endorsing machine comprising a motor driven platen roller, a normally inactive plate roller provided with a printing plate, a normally inactive driving connection between said platen and plate rollers, check feeding rollers driven from the platen, a pair of tripping rollers having articulating toothed surfaces in contact with each other, one of said tripping rollers being yieldably mounted so as to be displaced by the check a greater distance than the thickness of the check paper when the latter is introduced between the said feed rollers, and means operated by such displacement of said tripping roller for operating the driving connection above mentioned and causing the plate roller to rotate.

6. A check endorsing machine comprising a motor driven platen roller, a normally inactive plate roller provided with a printing plate, a normally inactive driving connection between said platen and plate rollers, check feeding rollers driven from the platen, a pair of tripping rollers having articulating toothed surfaces in Contact with each other, one of said tripping rollers being yieldably mounted and being located in line with the center of the plate whereby that portion of the check which will subsequently pass under the plate will cause a greater displacement of the tripping roller than the thickness of the check paper and means operated by such displacement of said tripping roller for operating the driving connection above mentioned and causing the plate roller to rotate.

7. A check endorsing machine comprising a frame, a platen roller mounted therein and adapted to be driven by an electric motor, a lever, a plate roller mounted for rotation on said lever, end rollers rotatable on the ends of said plate roller, an adjustable spring acting on said` lever to press the end rollers against the platen roller to be driven thereby, a clutch between an end roller and the plate roller, manually operated mechanism including a handle and a cam for moving said lever against said spring to raise the end rollers out of contact with said platen, and also including a cam for operating an electric switch in the circuit of the electric motor whereby the operation of said handle to raise the plate roller also opens the motor circuit and stops the machine and the opposite operation of the handle closes the circuit and spring presses the end rollers against the platen and check operated mechanism for operating the clutch only when the said circuit has been closed.

8. A check endorsing machine comprising a motor driven platen roller, a normally inactive plate roller, a printing plate secured to said plate roller, means for driving said plate roller when a check is introduced into the machine, a felt inking roller adapted to contact with said plate and be driven thereby, a pin on said plate roller, a lever and a toothed pawl connected to said lever and having teeth adapted to contact with the felt of said inking roller, the pin being adapted to strike the lever and operate the pawl and thus initially rotate the felt roller prior to the engagement of the plate therewith.

9. A check endorsing machine comprising a motor driven platen roller, feed rollers and a plate roller frictionally driven thereby, a printing plate secured to said plate roller, an inking roller having a felt periphery driven by said plate, an ink reservoir, a paddle therein, means for driving the paddle from the plate roller, a distributing roller contacting with and being driven by the inking roller and adapted to receive ink periodically from the paddle and transfer it to said inking roller.

10. A check endorsing machine comprising a motor driven platen roller, feed rollers and a plate roller frictionally driven thereby, a printing plate secured to said plate roller, an inking roller having felt periphery driven by said plate, an ink reservoir, a paddle therein, means for driving the paddle from the plate roller, a distributing roller contacting with and being driven by the inking roller and adapted to receive ink periodically from the paddle and transfer it to said inking roller, and a toothed pawl actuated by said plate roller and having serrations adapted to contact with the periphery of said inking roller, whereby the latter is initially rotated prior to the driving thereof frictionally from the said plate and its periphery is picked and kept soft by the serrated pawl.

11. A check endorsing machine comprising a motor driven platen roller, a plate roller, an end roller mounted on the end of said plate roller, a normally inactive clutch between the end roller and the plate roller, means for holding the end roller in frictional contact with said platen roller to be driven thereby, a tripping roller adapted to be displaced by a check introduced into the machine, means operatively connected with said tripping roller and said to be actuated thereby whereby the pin and lever clutch to cause the plate roller to operate, a Vmechanism cause the pawl to produce an initial printing plate secured to said plate roller, an rotary movement of the inking roller prior to inking roller provided with a felt peripheral its being frictionally driven by the plate, an ink surface adapted to contact with said plate and reservoir, a paddle therein operatively connected be driven thereby, an adjustable pin on said with said lever to be driven thereby, and a plate roller, a lever adapted to be struck by said distributing roller adapted to receive ink from pin, a serrated pawl with its teeth in contact said paddle and transfer it to said inking roller. with said felt roller and connected to said lever DEAN S. BOWMAN. 

